Review: Frost By: Marianna Baer

Title: Frost
Author: Marianna Baer
Publisher: Balzer & Bray, 400 Pages (September 13th 2011)
From: the Publisher, Thank You!

Synopsis: Leena Thomas’s senior year at boarding school begins with a shock: Frost House, her cozy dorm of close friends, has been assigned an unexpected roommate: confrontational, eccentric Celeste Lazar. But while Leena’s anxiety about a threat to her sanctuary proves valid, it becomes less and less clear whether the threat lies with her new roommate, within Leena’s own mind, or within the very nature of Frost House itself. Mysterious happenings in the dorm, an intense triangle between Leena, Celeste, and Celeste’s brother, and the reawakening of childhood fears, all push Leena to take increasingly desperate measures to feel safe. Frost is the story of a haunting. As to whether the demons are supernatural or psychological . . . well, which answer would let you sleep at night?

Review: 3 Stars - Frost by author Marianna Baer is a mystery with an extra high creep factor. It’s psychological right through to the last page and Baer had a knack for turning the plot upside down just when you thought you had a handle on what was happening. Baer writes a good ghost story, eerie setting and all. Just when you think you finally figured out what’s going on… think again.

Leena’s senior year at her boarding school starts off on a high note, moving into a coveted house on campus – Frost House – that over the years was strictly kept as boys housing. The house had called to her from the first time she came across it and she knew she wanted nothing more than to try to make this place home for the rest of the year. Something she wasn’t expecting when moving in was the addition of a new roommate, the brash and forward Celeste.

Leena wasn’t a character I could connect to at all, but I think that was part of the point of the story. Looking back on it now, you can’t help but see her changing because of the crazy things that were going on in Frost house. Leena’s not lacking of her own personal issues from home life and her childhood, so those things played into the events as they continued to unfold. I liked Leena at the beginning of the book, but by the end… she was so removed for me as a character that I honestly didn’t like the person she turned into and it ended up taking so much away from the whole thing for me. However, I get the point and why she had to go through the changes she did.

And Leena’s friends… don’t get me started on them. I mean, I can totally understand why they would be upset with her, but they also rubbed me the wrong way. I wish I could tell you more about why I felt as I did, however it’ll give away too much. I stay away from spoilers as much as possible, so I’ll just say that I was somewhat disappointed. And I can’t forget to talk about Celeste. Now, that girl needs therapy! I couldn’t get over her personality and the things that sometimes came out of her mouth.

Then we have Celeste’s brother David, who had a somewhat unhealthy obsession with his sister. I liked the times when Leena called him on it, made him think and see how it appeared from the outside. He was a great character because he was able to listen to what other people had to say and grow because of it.

All of our main characters had so many issues to deal with in their lives that it was bound to all spill over into each other. And then the issues with what were really going on within Frost house… In the end, I could never have guessed that ending was right around the corner, which is always a good thing, right? Speaking of the ending, seriously? It wrapped things up, explained so much, but I felt somewhat deflated. It’s not to say that the book was a bad one. The creep factor was high enough, coupled with the mystery between all the characters and the Frost house; those two things saved this title for me.

All in all, Frost was more than I expected when it came to the creepiness and mystery, but was a bit lacking for me when it came to liking the characters. Not to mention an ending that was a bit, eh… I had to give it 3 stars. Would I recommend this title? Yes, to anyone looking for a mysterious ghost story set in a boarding school, in an old house… especially to anyone looking for a bit of a scare. Enjoy!

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.